FWIW: Academies shine again in rankings

Four New Jersey high schools - all competitive career academies - were ranked in the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's Best High School rankings for 2013. And nine of the 10 top-ranked high schools in New Jersey also were career academies.

The only traditional public high school in New Jersey's top 10 was West Windsor-Plainsboro South, which ranked ninth.

Rumson-Fair Haven High School was the only traditional public high school in Monmouth and Ocean counties to make New Jersey's top 50 list. It was ranked 17th.

Biotechnology High School ranked eighth on this year's nationwide list, and High Technology High ranked 12th. Both are in the Monmouth County Vocational District. Other New Jersey schools in the top 50 nationally were Bergen County Academies (34th) and Dr. Ronald E. McNair Academic High School (50th).

Environmental group to support Buono

The NJ Environmental Federation endorsed Democratic Sen. Barbara Buono for governor last week, even though it backed Chris Christie in 2009. It said endorsing Buono was "an easy call," given a series of broken promises by Christie and Buono's record on issues like clean energy and green jobs.

"Barbara Buono is without any doubt the environmental candidate in this year's race for governor," said Janet Tauro, NJ Environmental Federation's board chair. "We agree that the environment and the economy are inextricably linked, while Governor Christie's policies show them to be mutually exclusive."

"We need a leader who'll invest in a green economy, not raid it," said federation board member Ben Forest, citing the governor's annual diversion of Clean Energy funds totaling more than $750 million and growing.

The NJ Environmental Federation is the state's largest environmental organization.

Springsteen recognized by American Academy

Bruce Springsteen has received one more honor to add to his already overcrowded mantel: membership in the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Last week, the group announced the election of 198 new members, including The Boss.

Members of the 2013 class include winners of the Nobel Prize, the National Medal of Science, the Fields Medal and the MacArthur and Guggenheim fellowships.

Among those joining Springsteen this year in the Humanities and Arts section of the academy are novelist Martin Amis, actor-director Robert De Niro, soprano Renée Fleming, and singer-songwriter Pete Seeger.

The academy has been around since 1780, electing what it calls leading "thinkers and doers" from each generation.

New Rutgers coach off to 'Fast' start

At last week's press conference introducing "Fast Eddie" Jordan as the new head basketball coach at Rutgers University, the former star guard at Rutgers had a slam dunk of a debut. He was described by athletic director Carl Kirschner "as a classy guy, open, honest, willing to learn, utmost integrity. Just a classy guy."

Exactly what the university needs in the wake of the Mike Rice debacle.

Jordan, who later played and coached in the NBA, struck all the right notes.

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FWIW: Academies shine again in rankings

Four New Jersey high schools ? all competitive career academies ? were ranked in the top 50 in the nation by U.S. News & World Report's Best High School rankings for 2013.

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